1. Field of the Invention
This application is generally directed to safety devices for use in preventing lawn mower accidents and is particularly directed to a safety device for preventing lawn mowers from slipping or tipping while traversing a sloped embankment by providing ground penetrating discs which are selectively engageable with at least the downhill wheels of a lawn mowing vehicle so as to be readily attached to such wheels when the lawn mowing vehicle is to be used over sloped terrain where the vehicle is operated laterally from side to side across the surface of the terrain.
2. History of the Prior Art
Heretofore there have been many developments which have been proposed with respect to increasing the safe use of lawn mowing vehicles. Every year there are a great many accidents which cause severe bodily injury to people using lawn mowers on terrain where the footing of the operator is not stable and/or where the center of gravity of the lawn mowing vehicle is such as to induce the vehicle to slide, roll, or pitch to an extent where the operator is placed off balance resulting in loss of control of the vehicle.
The hazards associated with mowing embankments especially of steep grade are known by home owners as well as professional mowing services alike. Even with large tractor type vehicles, the possibilty of the vehicle rolling as it traverses the slope from side to side is very real. Numerous innovations have been proposed with respect to determining the maximum safe angle of operation for self powered vehicles. Such safety devices provide an audible or visual warning to an operator of a vehicle when they have exceeded the safe operating incline for the vehicle. Such complicated and expensive innovations are not provided on most lawn mowing equipment available on the market today and therefore the average lawn mower operator has no means of electrically or mechanically obtaining a warning that they are operating under conditions which may be unsafe.
In order to increase traction of lawn mowing vehicles along sloped surfaces, various rear drive train mechanisms have been proposed as well as enlarged rear wheel tread designs developed in an effort to prevent accidental rolling of a lawn mowing vehicle. In some instances, use has been made of outrigger type supports for preventing a lawn mowing vehicle from tilting or rolling as the mower is operated across a sloped embankment. Again, however, such outrigger devices are not readily available to most operators of lawn mowers and the expense of providing such an outrigger prohibits their use in most commercial markets.
An additional problem which is inherent in the use of lawn mowing devices is the fact that ground conditions can be such that the operator may easily slip on even a very sight incline due to ground moisture or dew conditions. The number of accidents attributable to the use of lawn mowing devices has resulted in a great deal of development of safety clutches and brakes for lawn mowers. Many such lawn mowers, however, rely on the operator during assembly of the lawn mower properly to install such safety devices and frequently such safety devices are bypassed or break down during use and are not available to the operator in the event that an accident does occur. In addition, many proposed lawn mower safety devices would not prevent some types of harm to an operator especially if a larger vehicle were to roll and spill the operator and perhaps pin the operator under the vehicle.